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Oxygen embolism after hydrogen peroxide irrigation of a vulvar abscess

Contributors

Haller, Guy Serge Antoine; Faltin-Traub, Ellen Françoise; Faltin, Daniel Ladislas; Kern, Christian

Published in

British journal of anaesthesia, vol. 88, no. 4, p. 597-599

Publication date

2002-04

Abstract

We report a case of venous oxygen embolism in a 33-yr-old healthy woman after irrigation of a vulvar abscess with 25 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Venous oxygen embolism was diagnosed by the development of sudden hypoxia associated with a decrease in end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration from 5.3 kPa to 3.2 kPa, and a 'mill-wheel' sound on cardiac auscultation soon after injection of the solution. The patient responded to corrective treatment including the Trendelenburg position and 100% oxygen. She made an uneventful recovery. We discuss the possible causative mechanism of this embolism, the different diagnostic methods, and the controversial aspects of available treatments. We emphasize that hydrogen peroxide is a dangerous and unsuitable agent for routine wound irrigation and debridement.

Keywords

  • Abscess / surgery
  • Adult
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local / adverse effects
  • Embolism, Air / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / adverse effects
  • Intraoperative Care / adverse effects
  • Intraoperative Complications
  • Oxygen
  • Therapeutic Irrigation / adverse effects
  • Vulvar Diseases / surgery
  • Surgery, gynaecological
  • Infection, bacterial
  • Complications, oxygen embolism

UNIGE affiliation entities

Citation (ISO format)

HALLER, Guy Serge Antoine et al. Oxygen embolism after hydrogen peroxide irrigation of a vulvar abscess. In: British journal of anaesthesia, 2002, vol. 88, n° 4, p. 597–599. doi: 10.1093/bja/88.4.597

Main files (1)

Article (Published version)

Identifiers

Additional URL for this publication

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0007091217364930

Journal ISSN

0007-0912
268views
226downloads

Technical informations

Creation

05/01/2022 13:27:00

First validation

05/01/2022 13:27:00

Update

16/03/2023 02:32:38

Status update

16/03/2023 02:32:37

Last indexation

01/11/2024 00:43:03
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